Juvia's Blushing Face

A sudden commotion erupted from the woods.

The figures rushed out, and only breathed a sigh of relief when they saw it was Riyao.

Ur, who was walking ahead, was carrying brown paper bags in both hands, with large green onions and two large pieces of beef sticking out of the bags.

Ultear, dressed in a smart dark coat, was carrying a bag of rye bread in her arms, while Meredy bounced around beside her.

Juvia, walking at the back, wore white gloves and carefully carried a dessert box tied with a pink ribbon, not even bothering to straighten her hat which was askew.

Ur stopped, shook the bags in his hands, and grinned.

"We were wondering whose carriage was outside. Oh, it's you! What brings you here? Since you're already here, please stay for a meal."

Ultear, who was following behind, suddenly stopped, her gaze icy as she stared at Riyao's face, her eyebrows furrowed.

"Tsk, what brings you here?!"

When Ultear saw Riyao, her expression immediately changed, looking as disgusted as if she had stepped on a rotten banana peel.

Riyao leaned against the fence, not about to indulge her. He put his hands in his pockets, raised his chin high, and started firing off a barrage of words.

"Hey, you heartless bastard! I saved your mom, and this is how you treat me? Ur, look at your daughter, she's going astray!"

As Riyao spoke, he shook his head, slapped his palm with the back of his hand, and looked heartbroken.

Ur scratched her head, wanting to retort to Riyao's words, but she felt there was some truth to them; it seemed Ultear had indeed gone astray outside.

Meredy was displeased. She rushed forward, spread her arms, and stood in front of Ultear, puffing out her cheeks at Riyao.

"What's wrong with Ultear? She's always been like this, okay? Besides, isn't a mischievous Ultear appealing?"

Meredy tilted her little face up and shouted loudly, with a self-righteous air.

Ultear's lips twitched, and a cross-shaped vein bulged on his forehead.

What is this little girl thinking all day long?!

Thump!

Meredy covered her head with both hands and groaned, secretly sticking her tongue out at Ultear.

There was a commotion in the yard when Juvia walked in carrying a cake box. When she saw Lucy, she stopped in her tracks.

Juvia straightened her back, hugged the dessert box tightly, and looked at Lucy with a smug expression.

Lucy stood there, rubbing her eyes, when suddenly her nose stung with tears.

Juvia finally changed her expression when she looked at herself; her eyes were no longer filled with resentment.

Back in the guild, whenever she stood close to Gray, Juvia would appear out of nowhere and stare at her with those resentful eyes.

Now that Juvia no longer sees her as a rival, Lucy feels a huge weight lifted off her shoulders.

The others, unable to contain themselves any longer, surrounded Juvia and bombarded her with questions.

"Juvia! Confess now!"

"How far have things progressed between you two?!"

We have to eat this melon quickly, or it will spoil.

Juvia, who had just been looking smug, was so frightened by this scene that his cheeks turned as red as tomatoes.

Juvia cupped her face in her hands, her little face flushed red, steam rising from it.

Puff--Puff--

Cana squeezed forward and hooked her arm around Juvia's shoulder, flicking a stray hair behind Juvia's ear with her finger.

"Wow, Juvia, you actually succeeded! Tell me how you did it? Any 'hmm's'?"

She winked and nudged Juvia in the ribs with her elbow.

More and more steam was rising from Juvia's head; it seemed she might faint from dehydration if this continued.

Levy, Lisanna, Lucy, and Wendy looked at Juvia with expectant eyes.

Levy leaned forward, her eyes sparkling.

Lisanna clasped her hands together in front of her chin, her face full of excitement.

Little Wendy blushed and quietly moved to the front as well.

Carla seemed uninterested, tucking her paws in front of her chest as if admiring the scenery, while her white tail swished rapidly behind her.

Juvia was so flustered by the stare that he scraped his toes into the ground, leaving a small dent.

She covered her burning face, and soft sounds escaped through her fingers.

"It's just that Juvia's usual harassment of Gray finally won Juvia over, and then... hehe..."

As he continued, Juvia became lost in rosy fantasies, a silly, perverted grin spreading across his face, making everyone's skin crawl.

The group was stunned by Juvia's strange smile.

Lisanna was extremely anxious and patted Juvia's arm twice.

"Go on, is there anything we can't hear? We're all adults!"

When Little Wendy, who was hiding in the back, heard "you're an adult," her face turned red. She retreated behind Lucy and covered her ears, but left a gap between her fingers.

Lucy couldn't hold back any longer after hearing this absurd explanation and made a comment.

"Isn't 'daily harassment' a misuse of the term? What happened next? Tell me quickly, I'm getting impatient! Don't be like that scheming jerk!"

The cunning bastard she was talking about sat under the shade of a tree, leaning against a wooden post with his arm around Mirajane's waist and his chin resting on her shoulder.

Mirajane smiled and handed him a sweet and sour wild berry.

Riyao chewed on berries, he suddenly heard Lucy calling to him from a distance.

"Lucy, shall we go to the Heartfilia Family next?"

These words struck Lucy like a bolt from the blue.

Lucy flinched, her blonde hair nearly standing on end.

I was wrong! I'm sorry!

She bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle, her actions of admitting her mistake swift and decisive.

She didn't want to go home. If Riyao tied her up and left her there, he was absolutely capable of doing it.

Riyao glanced at her and continued whispering to Mirajane.

He rubbed his fingers against Mirajane's silver hair again, a mischievous grin on his face.

Mirajane chuckled to herself and reached out to flick the tip of his nose.

The two whispered among themselves, glancing at Lucy and the others every now and then.

With each glance, Riyao's eyes held a calculating glint, clearly contemplating how to get rid of these "light bulbs" (opportunists).

Lisanna, still gossiping, suddenly realized the alarm was about to go off and jogged over, waving her arms wildly.

"Sister and brother-in-law, what are you two plotting? Are you planning to abandon us, your weak, helpless, pitiful, and penniless little sisters, again?"

Riyao gave her a disgusted look and rolled his eyes at her, waving his hand away as if shooing away a fly.

"If you keep nagging, I'll drag Mira to the Celestial Spirit World for a trip. You won't be able to find her then."

Go to the Celestial Spirit World?

Ordinary people can't even get into the Celestial Spirit World. If they manage to escape, everyone will be left starving in the forest!

"No way, brother-in-law, you're the best! I was your little strategist back then, giving you plenty of advice on how to win my sister's heart. You can't just kick me while I'm down!"

Lisanna shook Riyao's arm, trying to soften his Riyao heart by acting cute and charming.

However, the moment those words were spoken, the air in the courtyard instantly turned cold.

Mirajane, leaning against Riyao's chest, lost his smile, his deep blue eyes narrowing slightly, gleaming with a dangerous cold light.

A kind smile reappeared on Mirajane's face.

Mirajane reached out and pinched Lisanna's ear, slowly pulling it upwards.

"Fine, so you admit it, huh?"

Her voice was as gentle as honey, but her grip was firm and decisive.

No wonder Riyao could always figure out my whereabouts back then, and there were always my favorite snacks on the table. It was all because my younger sister was a fence-sitter!

Lisanna was pulled so hard that her toes lifted off the ground, and she screamed loudly.

"Ouch! My ear's going to fall off!"

"What? I didn't say anything! I was wrong, sis!"

Lisanna flailed her arms for help, but everyone around her instinctively looked up at the sky.

What a beautiful sunny day!